Ādisōke [Ottawa's New Central Library] | U/C

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by McC

Or Ottawa Tech.

Right, I forgot about Ottawa Tech. I'm pretty sure it's bigger than the current library as is. If they could keep the original 1917 school and 1938 auditorium, partly fill up the gaps on Albert and build a brand new 6-8 storey section on the site of 60s addition, that would be awesome.

To raise money, we could get a private developer to build 30-35 floors (Escarpment district does not seem to be in the parliamentary view planes)where the Gym and parking lot sits across the street.


http://wikimapia.org/4369010/Ottawa-Technical-High-School-former

[citydwlr]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Right, I forgot about Ottawa Tech. I'm pretty sure it's bigger than the current library as is. If they could keep the original 1917 school and 1938 auditorium, partly fill up the gaps on Albert and build a brand new 6-8 storey section on the site of 60s addition, that would be awesome.

To raise money, we could get a private developer to build 30-35 floors (Escarpment district does not seem to be in the parliamentary view planes)where the Gym and parking lot sits across the street.


http://wikimapia.org/4369010/Ottawa-Technical-High-School-former

I'm all for this option. I really like the original building, and a modern addition above and/or across the street (to replace the 60s extension) would be nice.

From Wikipedia:

The board [of eduction] has been pressured to sell the buildings, which in 1999 were valued at over $10 million. However the board has decided to keep the school. The facility is in good condition and many on the board feel its central location is the ideal location to someday open a new specialist school.

On June 9, 2009, local media news reports said that the site may be chosen as a location for a new downtown branch of the Ottawa Public Library.

In Toronto, I've often seen different branches of George Brown College, and Ryerson University spread out across the city (e.g., Corus Entertainment complex, Dundas Square, Ryerson School of Business at Dundas and Bay). I'm wondering if some sort of off-site education resource ( for Ottawa U, Algonquin College, La Cité, Carleton U, etc... ) could be built on premises, as part of the P3 venture?

[acottawa]

I think bayview would be a huge risk. It has a local catchment close to zero and is basically only accessible by transit and bicycle, which would be politically correct, but would probably discourage many users (particularly the older people and people with small kids who are the library's core market).

To me the alterna site (the process jimbo nixed when he was against a new library before he was for it) was ideal - close to transit, cycling and walking options, but also both paid and free parking, plus had a good size local catchment. If it needs to go out of downtown for cost reasons then I think somewhere like St. Laurent would encourage more use then somewhere like Bayview.

[Urbanarchit]

*

[Temperance]

Originally Posted by defishel

I just wanted to share this video for Calgary's new library. Notice how LRT passes under it.

Wow that is some beautiful library. Ottawa also needs a great central library. It is not an anachronism, as some posters seem to say. Libraries are evolving into community learning centres (although books are still an important component). I have lived a lot in Netherlands over the past several years and Amsterdam and The Hague both have really beautiful (and popular) central libraries.

[J.OT13]

I guess that's another place they could build it; over the Confederation Line west portal.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

We could also consider putting the new library in these buildings...

[citydwlr]

Originally Posted by defishel

I just wanted to share this video for Calgary's new library. Notice how LRT passes under it.

Such a nice building! Nice find

Actually, after reading/viewing your post, I noticed a couple architecture/design blogs covering some of the details of the building. Here's a few images from the Dezeen one:









Snøhetta does some pretty solid work. Pretty cool that they're involved in a project in Calgary; though, I wish it was in Ottawa Seeing this on LeBreton Flats would have been impressive...

[rocketphish]

Libraries lend a hand to development

JOSH O’KANE, The Globe and Mail
Published Monday, Nov. 03 2014, 4:34 PM EST, Last updated Thursday, Nov. 06 2014, 4:09 PM EST

In a city often focused on history, it is a glistening monument to the future: Halifax’s new central library, set to open on Spring Garden Road by the end of the year, is no ode to the paper books of libraries past.

It’s designed to be a gathering place, a learning space and an innovation centre. What will happen inside the building, though, may have less of an impact on the city than what happens around it. The Halifax Regional Municipality is consciously using the $57.6-million library to attract development along Spring Garden’s bustling retail corridor.

The costs of the branch are covered, in part, by the sale of three adjacent parking lots to private developers, who in turn are building new mid-rise, mixed-use projects in the area, bringing much-needed density to the city’s core.

The library is crucial infrastructure needed to bring Halifax into the 21st century, says Wadih Fares, who, on top of developing two of those parking lots, just announced a $100,000 donation to the branch. Mr. Fares sees it as a stimulus for downtown growth, likening it to the first spark in a fireplace: “It will ignite the whole fire.”

Consumers are moving to e-books in droves, but the death of the conventional library may be greatly exaggerated. The dissemination of information no longer requires a printing press, but it remains a core component of democracy. Cities across Canada are building new libraries with a focus on broader learning and community building – and they’re being financed in ways that complement and encourage nearby development. Those branches are paying their cities back in spades, bringing in greater density and community engagement.

In Halifax, Mr. Fares’s donation will help pay for a community space within the library, which was built by Danish architects Schmidt Hammer Lassen with local partner Fowler, Bauld & Mitchell. Mr. Fares, who emigrated from Lebanon to Halifax in the 1980s, wants people to live and play downtown in the city that has supported his life and career. “The more community places you have, the more modern, 21st-century buildings that go up, it attracts people to that area,” he says.

Paula Saulnier, interim chief executive officer of Halifax Public Libraries, says “any city that invests in their libraries makes a commitment to learning, to culture and democracy.” That, in turn, brings people: “We’re going to see this as a catalyst to encourage people to live and work in the downtown.”

Two of the nearby parking lots have been sold, bringing in nearly $14-million to cover municipal costs of the project, with up to $10-million expected from the third, says Peter Stickings, the HRM’s manager of corporate real estate.

New libraries are increasingly being seen as community focal points. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson called a new central branch an “important community asset” when campaigning for re-election in October. A planned branch on Vancouver’s East Hastings Street, meanwhile, is part of a joint project with YWCA Metro Vancouver that will include affordable housing for low-income single mothers and their children.

In Calgary, a $245-million new central library has been announced for the city’s East Village, which is undergoing a multi-decade, 49-acre brownfield redevelopment project to transform it from neglected neighbourhood to family-friendly community. By the time the East Village is fully developed, more than 11,000 people are expected to call it home. The curved, glass downtown library, perched on top of a light-rail transit line, is set to open in 2018.

“We consider the library an educational anchor to the development” of the East Village, says Susan Veres, vice-president of marketing for the Calgary Municipal Land Corp. (CMLC), which was created by the city in 2007 to redevelop the neighbourhood.

When the East Village site was chosen for the new library, the CMLC committed $70-million to the project from its community revitalization levy, a pot of money the corporation sets aside for infrastructure improvements. Rather than add a development levy to existing property taxes, CMLC struck a 20-year tax-incremental financing deal with the city to funnel income from new development into specific projects to improve the community, adding amenities to encourage further development.

So far the fund has invested $345-million into public improvements in the East Village, Ms. Veres says. Though much of the land is already scooped up by developers, “I think [the new library will] affect people choosing to live here,” she says. “The neighbourhood had a bad personality, and now that personality is changing favourably.”

“I’m really proud that the library is the linchpin for all that,” says Bill Ptacek, CEO of the Calgary Public Library. The Calgary system is aiming to double its membership in the near future as it makes its library cards free and beefs up its programs. The strategy includes, as reading goes electronic, getting rid of some of those pesky physical books. “We’re trying to take up less space in our community library to make more space for people.”

Calgary isn’t the only city where a whole new downtown community is popping up. The former railway lands along Toronto’s waterfront have turned into a sprawling community of condo towers that, until this year, was without a library. When planning the community, the city decided to apply a per-unit levy to developers building in the area to fund public services like a school, community centre and library.

The levies are charged to developers as soon as they apply for building permits. The original indexed library levy, set in 1994, was set at $277 per unit, but rose to $400 by 2008. This funded half – $4.6-million – of the cost of the new Fort York branch, which opened in May.

This wasn’t the only bonus the branch scored from private development. The developer Context, whose Library District condos are adjacent to the library, donated $500,000 for the branch’s public art installation, a collaboration between visual artist Charles Pachter based on Margaret Atwood’s poetry collection The Journals of Susanna Moodie.

“I think it’s been a really successful way, from the city’s perspective, to deliver a complete neighbourhood,” says Toronto planner Lynda Macdonald, who oversees that community. “We think the new library is fabulous and the community loves it.”

Anne Bailey, Toronto’s acting city librarian, says the new branch is an important step for the growing community. “Through the glass and openness of the facility, it declares to the neighbourhood that it’s here, it’s open and it’s available for everyone.”

Photo Gallery

Follow us on Twitter: @GlobeBusiness

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on...d-a-hand-to-development/article21428477/

[rocketphish]

Don't need a new building for service improvements like this:

Library adds Netflix-like movie service

Thousands of titles of hit movies, documentaries and music will be available through two new Netflix-style streaming services the Ottawa Public Library will launch on Feb. 17.

By Laura Mueller
Ottawa East News, Jan 21, 2015

Library users will be able to watch hit movies like Oscar favourite Boyhood and listen to music from artists like Grammy-nominated Sam Smith starting Feb. 17.

The Ottawa Public Library is adding the services of Hoopla Digital to allow library users to stream or temporarily download popular films and television shows and music, from chart toppers to more classic offerings. There are more than 230,000 titles available in the Hoopla collection, including movies such as The Two Faces of January, Boyhood, and Majic City.

The music selection includes albums from Sam Smith to Nicki Minaj to Bastille.

Also on Feb. 17, Ottawa Public Library users will be able to use another new service: AVoD (Access Video on Demand), which offers popular documentaries originally produced for the likes of National Geographic, BBC, TED Talks, Nova, Rick Steves’ Europe. More than 13,000 videos and 207,000 video segments are available, ranging from art to business, geography to health, consumer sciences to do-it-yourself, biology to philosophy, and more.

There are no waitlists or late fees for any of the new streaming media being offered by the library. Items are automatically returned at the end of the borrowing period.

“For many years, OPL has been offering customers e-books, music, videos, and audiobooks,” Barrhaven Coun. Jan Harder, current chairwoman of the library board, said in a press release. “These two new services are a great addition to the mix.”

Hoopla Digital also has a mobile app for Android or iOS devices to make it easier to enjoy your selections on the go.

The added video and music streaming is in addition to another new service the Ottawa Public Library launched in late December: Freegal, which offers library users three hours of streaming music each day from the online Sony music catalogue. In the three weeks since OPL introduced Freegal, more than 15,000 songs were streamed by Ottawa users.

A limited number of songs can also be downloaded using the service. Library users are currently limited to five songs per day, up from two when the download service originally launched in 2011. Once downloaded, the library user owns a copy of that song – it doesn’t need to be returned to the library. In 2014, 69,835 songs were downloaded by OPL customers.

http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/news-story/5268209-library-adds-netflix-like-movie-service/

[HomeInMyShoes]

^Ugh. My library has Hoopla. It is a waste of money for the library in my opinion.

Ours has Boyhood which is good, but it has all of this mockbuster kids films with similar names to popular films and whose sole business model is ripping off institutions thinking it is a good service.

On topic. The Calgary library looks spectacular.

[citydwlr]

Came across this news article/broadcast from CTV Halifax talking about how popular the new library is, even after it's been open for 2 months:

* See link below for video...

Halifax Central Library still abuzz with crowds two months after opening



Almost two months after its grand opening, the Halifax Central Library is still creating a buzz in the city, attracting patrons by the thousands.

Library director Bruce Gorman says his expectations have gone through the roof.
“Since we opened, just in December, we've had in fact 66,000 people walk through this building, which, in just two weeks, is three times as many as we had in all of December last year,” says Gorman.

Gorman says he knew the library would make a statement in the downtown core. He says most of its success is owed to the creative vibe of the building.

“Whether they like to read the paper and have a coffee, or take in an event at Paul O'Regan Hall, people have come to this establishment and made it their own, which is exactly what we hoped,” says Gorman.

The new library is not just a place to borrow books, it is also a social space for passerby’s and tech-lovers. From creative labs, to music rooms, to puppet theatres, there is something to engage all ages.

Danielle Dungey operates the library’s teen services. She says the space attracts youth because there are a lot of engaging team activities and volunteer opportunities.
“We have 43 (volunteers) in total,” says Dungey. “They'll be doing a variety of things, from helping out with our children's programs, to engaging young people with video games, and our teen advisory council, where they'll put input on the types of programs we have in the library.”

Alison Black heads up the adult programs. She thinks the library thrives due to its flexible and versatile work spaces and informative presentations.

“The good thing about the Paul O'Regan Hall is that it's a great space for lectures, for performances,” says Black. “This Saturday we're having a theatrical performance called ‘Once,’ which is the story about Africville.”

Gorman says the staff is happy the younger generation is getting involved in library life, when not long ago is seemed libraries may become a thing of the past.


Read more: http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/halifax-centr...hs-after-opening-1.2219487#ixzz3RaFN7k00

[jcphoenix]

^That's inspiring to see.

If we had a building as gorgeous and inviting as the Halifax or Calgary libraries, I would go regularly. I still love the idea of browsing paper books, grabbing one off the shelf, finding a cozy spot and reading it but I haven't done it in years because I don't really like the Ottawa branches that I've been in. Come to think of it, I actually still do this occasionally but at places like Chapters instead. Give me a stunning and well thought out new library space and I would definitely go back, not just to browse books but for a place to work on things outside my condo or as an alternative to a café. Hell, I love the idea of music rooms especially if you could book a space to play some piano on occasion, etc for those of us who live in small spaces and can't keep one.

They just have to reposition the library as not just a place to archive books but as a communal space and I really believe that people will come flooding back. We're increasingly losing out on communal/meeting spaces in cities (that aren't restaurants or bars) and a library is in a perfect position to capitalize on that.

[rocketphish]

Have your say on central library vision
Consultations for new main branch begin this month

By Emma Jackson
Ottawa East News, Mar 10, 2015

The Ottawa Public Library wants a better central branch for the nation’s capital, but first it needs to find out what residents define as “better.”

Library staff is inviting residents to participate in a visioning exercise this month that will help planners figure out what kinds of spaces and functions library users would like to see included in a new main library.

Elaine Condos, the library’s facilities and business services manager, said staff already made a few assumptions about the shifting needs of library users, but they need the public to confirm whether or not they’re on the right track.

“What we see with (other) libraries consistently is less space for collections, more space for the public, more group and quiet study spaces,” Condos said. “People want to be able to collaborate and create.”

The library has been considering the possibility of building a new central library – likely with the help of a private partner – since last summer. This is the first time the public has been asked to weigh in on what that new facility might include.

Simple changes staff assumes have unanimous support include reliable Wi-Fi access – something the 41-year-old building at 120 Metcalfe St. just can’t provide because of its outdated concrete infrastructure.

Condos said a new main library would need to be flexible enough to evolve as technology and community needs change into the future.

“As a library would age, you want to be able to repurpose your space,” she said.

Looking at other central libraries in Canada, Condos said staff know that simply housing books is a thing of the past.

“We’re not looking for a future facility that would be a warehouse for physical material,” she said. “We’re looking for a community space.”

The newly-opened Halifax Central Library has become one of Ottawa’s top models in that regard.

“It’s described as the living room for the community, and that’s what we’ve always talked about,” Condos said.

There are three ways the public can get involved in the discussion: attend a public consultation at city hall, participate in an online forum, or visit the main branch.

The public consultation will be held at city hall on March 31 from 7 to 9 p.m. Registration is already open at ottawacentrallibrary.ca, and Condos said the meeting can accommodate about 200 people. After a brief presentation, participants will break out into groups with library facilitators to talk about the types of services and spaces they’d like to see in the updated main library.

For those who can’t get to the consultation, they can watch it live online at ottawacentrallibrary.ca and then submit their feedback until April 6.

And main branch users can leave their comments right on site between March 21 and 27, when staff will set up an “idea board” on the ground floor.

“We’ll have big pieces of paper that people can write their ideas on,” Condos said. “Halifax did something similar; they called it a graffiti board. We want to try and get input from as many people as possible.”

Condos said that this is just the first round of public consultation, to get a sense of functional requirements.

“There will be many other opportunities for consultations” to discuss locations, private partnerships and detailed site plans later in the process, she said.

LONG TIME COMING

The possibility of replacing or renovating the crumbling main library downtown has been on the radar for several years.

The city abandoned its plans to build a new structure in 2010, in favour of trying to fix up the current branch. But a report published last July found the existing building would require $40 million in renovations to just get the library up to 21st century standards, and as much as $70 million to expand the space enough to offer a full range of uses for its 14,000 weekly visitors.

The functional program space requirement for a modern central library is 130,000 square feet, and the current facility has only 98,000 usable square feet, according to the report.

Since the options would require so much money for relatively little in return, the library board directed staff at the time to analyze the options for building a central library at a new site, and to report back in 2015.

During last fall’s municipal election, Mayor Jim Watson supported that idea, campaigning on the concept of partnering with the private sector to build a new main library for the city. He promised to push for its inclusion in the council’s term priorities for 2015-2018.

The library has already hired a consultant group to draft the business case for how the city might move forward in a public-private partnership.

Condos said the business case and the findings from the public consultations this month, as well as a functional requirements report, will go to the library board in June.

“This information will support a recommendation on next steps for central library planning,” she said.

http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/news-story/5469185-have-your-say-on-central-library-vision/

[Urbanarchit]

*

[McC]

Whoah, man a person named "Elaine Condos" is leading the consultations? That's got comedy sketch misunderstanding written all over it.

[IntoTheCore]

Originally Posted by McC

Whoah, man a person named "Elaine Condos" is leading the consultations? That's got comedy sketch misunderstanding written all over it.

She's one of OPL's senior admins.

[Luker]

I signed up, it is exciting. However, reading that the required space for a new modern library is 130k when our current is 100k is very worrisome that this will turn out being another narrow-minded short term vision for Ottawa... For example, see: Removing Union Station, BRT transit way, LRT duplication of services on same BRT segment (tunnel is key, and shorter headways, but still..), removal of LRT station at Elgin/Confederation, insufficient LRT station enclosures, shortened LRT platforms to be extended in 15 years outside of downtown, Canadian Tire Center (NCC fault / private decision yes), Convention Center (beautiful but still relatively small and missing opportunities as such), currently building big new asphalt BRT highways to the suburbs despite planning LRT conversion in a decade...

Halifax greater population is just shy of 400,000 people and they just built a new library over 120,000+ sq. ft.

Calgary, with a population nearly identical to greater Ottawa (1.2mil) just completed their beautiful and well used library in downtown containing 286,000 sq. ft. - this replaced their older library which was close to 200,000 sq. ft., but was the typical book warehouse..

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Have your say on central library vision
Consultations for new main branch begin this month

By Emma Jackson
Ottawa East News, Mar 10, 2015

The Ottawa Public Library wants a better central branch for the nation’s capital, but first it needs to find out what residents define as “better.”

Library staff is inviting residents to participate in a visioning exercise this month that will help planners figure out what kinds of spaces and functions library users would like to see included in a new main library.

Elaine Condos, the library’s facilities and business services manager, said staff already made a few assumptions about the shifting needs of library users, but they need the public to confirm whether or not they’re on the right track.

“What we see with (other) libraries consistently is less space for collections, more space for the public, more group and quiet study spaces,” Condos said. “People want to be able to collaborate and create.”

The library has been considering the possibility of building a new central library – likely with the help of a private partner – since last summer. This is the first time the public has been asked to weigh in on what that new facility might include.

Simple changes staff assumes have unanimous support include reliable Wi-Fi access – something the 41-year-old building at 120 Metcalfe St. just can’t provide because of its outdated concrete infrastructure.

Condos said a new main library would need to be flexible enough to evolve as technology and community needs change into the future.

“As a library would age, you want to be able to repurpose your space,” she said.

Looking at other central libraries in Canada, Condos said staff know that simply housing books is a thing of the past.

“We’re not looking for a future facility that would be a warehouse for physical material,” she said. “We’re looking for a community space.”

The newly-opened Halifax Central Library has become one of Ottawa’s top models in that regard.

“It’s described as the living room for the community, and that’s what we’ve always talked about,” Condos said.

There are three ways the public can get involved in the discussion: attend a public consultation at city hall, participate in an online forum, or visit the main branch.

The public consultation will be held at city hall on March 31 from 7 to 9 p.m. Registration is already open at ottawacentrallibrary.ca, and Condos said the meeting can accommodate about 200 people. After a brief presentation, participants will break out into groups with library facilitators to talk about the types of services and spaces they’d like to see in the updated main library.

For those who can’t get to the consultation, they can watch it live online at ottawacentrallibrary.ca and then submit their feedback until April 6.

And main branch users can leave their comments right on site between March 21 and 27, when staff will set up an “idea board” on the ground floor.

“We’ll have big pieces of paper that people can write their ideas on,” Condos said. “Halifax did something similar; they called it a graffiti board. We want to try and get input from as many people as possible.”

Condos said that this is just the first round of public consultation, to get a sense of functional requirements.

“There will be many other opportunities for consultations” to discuss locations, private partnerships and detailed site plans later in the process, she said.

LONG TIME COMING

The possibility of replacing or renovating the crumbling main library downtown has been on the radar for several years.

The city abandoned its plans to build a new structure in 2010, in favour of trying to fix up the current branch. But a report published last July found the existing building would require $40 million in renovations to just get the library up to 21st century standards, and as much as $70 million to expand the space enough to offer a full range of uses for its 14,000 weekly visitors.

The functional program space requirement for a modern central library is 130,000 square feet, and the current facility has only 98,000 usable square feet, according to the report.

Since the options would require so much money for relatively little in return, the library board directed staff at the time to analyze the options for building a central library at a new site, and to report back in 2015.

During last fall’s municipal election, Mayor Jim Watson supported that idea, campaigning on the concept of partnering with the private sector to build a new main library for the city. He promised to push for its inclusion in the council’s term priorities for 2015-2018.

The library has already hired a consultant group to draft the business case for how the city might move forward in a public-private partnership.

Condos said the business case and the findings from the public consultations this month, as well as a functional requirements report, will go to the library board in June.

“This information will support a recommendation on next steps for central library planning,” she said.

http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/news-story/5469185-have-your-say-on-central-library-vision/

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Luker

I signed up, it is exciting. However, reading that the required space for a new modern library is 130k when our current is 100k is very worrisome that this will turn out being another narrow-minded short term vision for Ottawa... For example, see: Removing Union Station, BRT transit way, LRT duplication of services on same BRT segment (tunnel is key, and shorter headways, but still..), removal of LRT station at Elgin/Confederation, insufficient LRT station enclosures, shortened LRT platforms to be extended in 15 years outside of downtown, Canadian Tire Center (NCC fault / private decision yes), Convention Center (beautiful but still relatively small and missing opportunities as such), currently building big new asphalt BRT highways to the suburbs despite planning LRT conversion in a decade...
.

I agree there may not be an appropriate consideration of the future, but for the opposite reason. Building a library that is essentially designed to house books (with some community amenities) in the last days of printed books strikes me as short-sighted. But the time this thing gets finished (probably around 2025), recent retirees will be Gen X, the elderly will be babyboomers (both generations quite comfortable with ebooks, online searches, etc) and the generation that never really got comfortable will doing things electronically will be mostly past their library years. Paper books will be for hipsters and toddlers. The library will still need a good children's section and maybe a small collection of paper books for the vinyl records crowd, but rows of stacks will be hard to repurpose. If there are going to be books, they should be in a cheaply built annex that can be knocked down later on.

[1overcosc]

As a general rule of thumb, in North America 1995 is a significant date of birth cutoff. Generally, people born after 1995 are "full digital"--they generally grew up not playing outside, and never knew a world without the internet or ebooks or cell phones or computers in every house. This group, called Generation Z, has a large number of interesting traits based on this--for example, these people are far more likely to have very bad handwriting (most in this age group do not know how to write cursive at all), and generally, aren't that into paper books.

By contrast, those born in the late 1980s and early 1990s, despite generally growing up in the digital age, still have a large proportion of their numbers reading paper books and writing notes in cursive. And while probably not the majority, old school librairies still have a decent enough following from this cohort.

The death of the traditional library from attrition of paper book people is a long ways off yet.